Well completions are used in a variety of well related applications involving, for example, the production of fluids. A wellbore is drilled into a geological formation, and a completion is deployed into the wellbore by tubing or other deployment mechanisms. Generally, the wellbore is drilled through one or more formations containing desirable production fluids, such as hydrocarbon based fluids.
In many of these applications, electric submersible pumping systems are used to pump fluid from the wellbore to a collection location. However, the formation of free gas at the pump intake of the electric submersible pumping system can severely degrade pumping system performance. In some environments, a gas lock condition can result in which the pump is unable to deliver enough pressure to keep the pumping action continuous.
When a packer is used above the electric submersible pumping system, free gas can accumulate below the packer and eventually create a gas pocket that reaches the pump intake and triggers the gas lock condition. Attempts have been made to evacuate the gas accumulated below the packer, but these attempts have met with limited success. Without sufficient removal of the accumulated gas, the submersible pump of the electric submersible pumping system can be exposed to free gas which reduces pumping efficiency and increases the possibility of reaching the gas lock condition.